Rayfield Wright, the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame offensive sort out nicknamed “Large Cat” who went to 5 Tremendous Bowls in his 13 NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, died Thursday. He was 76.
Wright’s household confirmed his demise Thursday to the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame, which mentioned Wright had been hospitalized for a number of days following a extreme seizure. The Cowboys additionally confirmed the demise.
An enormous participant for his period at 6-foot-6 and over 250 kilos, Wright had already been a backup tight finish for a few seasons when coach Tom Landry requested him about enjoying sort out. A shocked Wright mentioned he had by no means performed sort out in his life, however Landry informed him he would make one.
Wright first began at sort out in a 1969 sport lined up towards Deacon Jones, essentially the most dominant go rusher of that period. Wright held his personal and settled in because the full-time starter at proper sort out in 1970, when Dallas made its first Tremendous Bowl. The Cowboys then gained their first Tremendous Bowl title in 1971, the primary of six consecutive seasons Wright was a Professional Bowler. He was a three-time All-Professional.
“He was completely the perfect,” Corridor of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach mentioned earlier than Wright’s corridor induction in 2006. “Rayfield was an enormous, robust man that was capable of switch his dimension and energy from tight finish to sort out. He additionally had such fast toes that he was capable of cope with a few of the sooner defensive ends and even the linebacker blitzes. If he acquired beat, I don’t keep in mind it.”
His “Large Cat” nickname was due to being so nimble for his dimension.
Dallas gained one other Tremendous Bowl in 1977, however Wright performed solely two video games that season due to knee surgical procedure. He had performed in 95 of the workforce’s 98 regular-season video games, beginning 94 of them, the earlier seven seasons.
After Wright began solely 16 of his 31 video games in 1978 and 1979, he was launched by the Cowboys the next spring. He signed with NFC East rival Philadelphia, however formally retired due to lingering accidents early in coaching camp with out enjoying a sport for the Eagles.
Wright was recognized with early stage dementia in 2012, however had lengthy been affected by seizures since his retirement. He believed they have been from the results of continued blows to the top whereas enjoying soccer. He had lengthy hidden coping with complications, dizziness and, at occasions, unexplained irritability and forgetfulness.
In a 2014 interview with The New York Occasions, Wright mentioned he incurred so many concussions throughout his NFL profession that he couldn’t even depend them.
When lastly inducted into the Corridor of Fame greater than a quarter-century after his final sport, Wright was introduced in Canton, Ohio, by longtime Fort Valley State soccer coach Stan Lomax.
Wright didn’t even make his highschool soccer workforce for 3 years in Griffin, Georgia, earlier than he went to Fort Valley State in his house state to play basketball. The next summer season, Lomax made him stop his summer season job at a mill to prepare to hitch the soccer workforce.
Lomax tried Wright at free security, then used him as a punter, defensive finish and tight finish. The coach additionally grew to become a father determine to Wright, who was picked by the Cowboys within the seventh spherical of the 1967 NFL draft.
Wright nonetheless most well-liked basketball, although he turned down a proposal after his junior season to signal with the NBA’s Cincinnati Royals, the franchise that's now the Sacramento Kings, in order that he might end college.
His sights have been nonetheless set on the NBA when Cowboys participant personnel director Gil Brandt referred to as and mentioned the workforce was concerned about drafting him.
“I noticed that potential, enjoying for the Cowboys, was a God-given alternative, and I couldn’t ignore it. I made a decision to attend the Cowboys’ coaching camp which was in July. The Royals camp didn’t begin until August,” Wright mentioned in his Corridor of Fame speech. “I form of figured that if I didn’t make the Cowboys workforce, I might go proper to the NBA.”
Wright mentioned Brandt was “signing everyone that might stroll” and that he was amongst 137 rookies within the Cowboys’ coaching camp in 1967. He was certainly one of 5 that made the workforce.
Wright was a backup sort out the primary two months of the 1969 season, then thrust into the beginning job when Ralph Neely acquired harm. His first begin got here when Dallas, then 8-1, performed on the 9-0 Los Angeles Rams with their Fearsome Foursome protection.
“We go as much as the road of scrimmage and I’m Deacon Jones sq. in his eyes, his eyes appear to be crimson as hearth, he’s kicking his again leg like a bull,” Wright later recalled. “I’m saying to myself, `My God, what have I acquired myself into?‘”
Earlier than the ball was snapped, Jones bellowed, “Boy, does your Mama know you out right here?” Wright was so shocked that Jones ran over him.
“I rolled over, seemed over at our sideline considering that coach Landry was going to take me out of the sport,” Wright mentioned. “By that point, Deacon Jones reached his massive arms down and mentioned, `Hey, rookie, welcome to the NFL.’ … I mentioned, `Effectively, Mr. Jones, you don’t know my Mama, so don’t discuss her. You wish to play the sport this manner, we’ll play it.’”
The Rams gained 24-23, however Wright acquired a sport ball for the job he wound up doing towards Jones. Their duels through the years went a great distance towards constructing Wright’s fame.
Dallas by no means had a shedding document in Wright’s 13 seasons, a span that included eight NFC championship video games and people 5 Tremendous Bowl appearances. He was a part of the NFL’s all-decade workforce for the Seventies.
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